Thill-support.



S. B. HAYS. THILL SUPPORT. nruonxon FILED FEB. 10, 1011.

1,006,941. Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

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SOLOMON B. HAYS, OF BUCHANAN, TENNESSEE.

THILL-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 16, 1911.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Serial No. 609,029.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SOLOMON B. HAYS, a citizen of the United, States, residing at Buchanan, in the county of Henry and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Supports, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention provides a support for holding up the shafts of a vehicle when not in use, which can be easily released to ermit the shafts to be lowered without rst slightly raising them, as is the case with some forms of support.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a latch so formed that it is held by the draft traces or tugs against rattling while the vehicle is in use, and at the same time prevented from becoming engaged with the retaining portion when the position of the draft animal is such that the shafts are unduly raised, as when starting up hill for example. A strap for enga ement by the latch for holding up the sha ts is so associated with the body of the vehicle as to brace that part.

When read in connection with the description herein, the details of construction and arrangement of parts contemplated by the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, wherein an embodiment of the invention, as applied to a buggy, is disclosed, for purposes of illustration.

While the form of the invention shown in the drawing is preferred, it is to be understood that it is not the intention to be necessarily limited to the precise delineation herein in interpretation of claims hereinafter, as it is obvious that various changes within the scope of the invention can be made in the structure shown and described.

Like reference-characters refer to corresponding parts in the views of the drawing, of which Figure 1 is a top view, showing the shafts in raised position; Fig. 2 is a side view, with the shafts in lowered position, and with certain parts broken away; Fig. 3 is a view of the latch member; and Fig. 4 is a view of the body-reinforcing member.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, 3 designates the body of the vehicle, 4 the front axle having shafts or other draft appliance 5 connected thereto and capable of being raised and lowered in the usual manner, and 6 the cross-bar of the shafts. A plurality of staples, screw-eyes, or other suitable securin devices 7 are disposed on the rear side 0 the cross-bar, and in these devices is journaled for rocking movement a latch member. The latch member comprises a rod 8, which is formed intermediate its ends, preferably midway between .the ends, with a laterally-extending loop port-ion 9. The material at the extremity of the loop is bent downwardly at about right an les to form a hook portion 10. The material of the rod at each end is extended upwardly and then downwardly to form laterallyextendin arms 11, which straddle and do not inter ere with the movement of the swingletree on the cross-bar. The ends of the downwardly-extending portions are formed with eyes or loops 12, preferably integrall fabricated by bending the material, and a apted for having the drafttraces passed through them. When the vehicle is in use, the traces are passed throu h the eyes 12 and the'latch member there y held in a substantially firm position and rattling obviated and the loop and its hook maintained out of the position it must have for engagement with an element on the body of the vehicle to retain the shafts in raised position, which element will now be described.

To reinforce the front of the body of the vehicle and to afford means for enga ement by the latch to hold the shafts ralsed, a member 13 is secured to the front and for short distances along each side by screws, bolts, or other suitable means 14. The member 13 is preferably of flat steel. Its top portion 15 extends transversely of the front of the body near the top thereof, and it is slightly diverted in a forward direction so that it is somewhat removed from the front surface of the body. It is with the diverted portion that the hook portion 10 of the loop 9 engages when the shafts are to be held in raised position. The hook portion of the loop, being made at substantially right angles to the main portion thereof, it may be pulled out of enga ement with the reinforcing-strap without rst raising the shafts.

In order to operate the latch, a cord or other suitable resilient member 16 is connected with an end of the latch. The resilient member is continuous or endless and is run through an eye or the like 17 toward the front end of the shafts and through a similar eye or the like 18 or through a pulley to the rear of the cross-bar and latch. It has connection with the latch at or near the e cs 12. When it is desired to lower the shafts, after, for example, a draft animal has been backed under them, the person hitching up the animal ulls on the proper lead of the resilient mem er to rock the hook of the latch upwardly and forwardly to disengage it from the body-strap 13. Ordinarily, when the shafts are raised after the draft animal has been unhitched, the hook portion of the loop will fall into engagement with the body-strap by the weight of the loop and the tendency of the curved arms on the ends of the latch to rock backwardly. However, if the latch does not of itself turn into engagement with the body-strap, it may be brought into engagement by pull on the lead of the resilient member which runs through the rear eye 18. When the traces or tugs are to be attached to the swingletree, they are led through the eyes 12, whereby the latch is held in such position that its hook will not become engaged with the body-strap when the shafts are unduly raised, as when starting up hill, and where by the latch is also firmly held against rattling.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vehicle having a draft applianoh capable of being raised and lowered, a rockable latch on said draft appliance, a fixed element on the vehicle with which said latch is engageable to hold the draft appliance in raised position, and said latch havlng a portion adapted for engagement by a drafttrace whereby it is maintained out of position for engagement with said fixed element.

2. In a vehicle having a draft appliance capable of being raised and lowered, a rockable latch on said draft appliance, a fixed element on the vehicle with which said latch is engageable to hold the draft appliance in raised position, and a loop on said latch adapted to have a draft-trace passed there through whereby the latch is maintained out of position for engagement with said fixed element.

3. In a vehicle having a draft appliance capable of being raised and lowered and including a. cross-bar, a rockable latch on said cross-bar comprising a lateral extension intermediate its ends having a hook portion, a laterally-extending arm on said latch having an eye adapted to have a draft-trace passed therethrough for the purpose specified, and a fixed element on the vehicle with which said hook is engageable to hold the draft appliance in raised position.

4. In a vehicle, the combination, with a fixed element on the bod of the vehicle and a draft appliance capa 1e of being raised and lowered and including a cross-bar, of a rockable latch on the cross-bar com rising a laterally-extending loop intermediate its ends having a hook portion engageable with the fixed element to retain the draft appliance in raised position, a laterally-extending arm on an end of the latch curved to straddie a swingletree on the cross-bar, a loop on the end of said arm adapted to have a draft-trace passed therethrough for the purpose specified, and means whereby said latch is rocked.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' SOLOMON B. HAYS.

Witnesses:

JOHN C. SWEENEY, E. B. SWEENEY.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

